Cloth-folding machine



(No Model.)

E. HALL. cLoTH FOLDING MACHINE.

No. 540,250. Patented June 4, 1895.

Tizi--2 Fay wy.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OTEICE EDVARD HALL, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTH-FOLDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 'Patent No. 540,250, dated June 4,1895.

Application filed October l1, 1894, Serial No. 525,540. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD HALL, of the city and county of Worcester andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cloth-Folding Machines; and l do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of thisspecification, in which-n i Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinalsection through the upper part of a cloth-fold ing machine with myimprovement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged View of a part ofsaid vertical section shown in Fig. l. Fig.` 3 is a bottom view of partof one of the clothholding jaws to which myinvention more particularlyrelates; and Fig. 4 shows a modification in the construction of saidjaws, which will be hereinafter described.

My invention relates to the construction of the fixed holding-jaws orblades of a clothfolding machine against the under-sides of which thefolded edges of the cloth are pressed by the upward tilting movements ofthe folding table in the operation of folding said cloth thereon; andconsists in providing the under sides of said jaws or blades, back ofthe usual longitudinal teeth at their front edges, with fine roughenedsurfaces extending a short distance back from said toothed surfaces andacross the full length of the jaws or blades, as and for the purposehereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains tobetter understand the nature and purpose thereof, I will now proceed todescribe it more in detail.

Prior to my invention much objection has been made to the unevenness inthe lengths of folds of folded cloth, more especially silk, and similarhard finished goods whichhave a smooth, slippery surface, and do not laydat at the folds like soft goods, but tend to roll or curl over at thefolded edges when the folding blade leaves said edges and before thefolding table moves up to hold the same, in the usual folding operation.Therefore, when the next and each succeeding fold is laid the tendencyis for the last preceding fold to push t the next one forward a littlewhich slips and curls or rolls over upon itself and thus short ens thefold, each successive fold pushing forward the following one in the samemanner until a sufficientl number of folds have been laid (each a littleshorter than the preceding one) to permit the blade to carry the thenext fold over beyond said shorter folds, which hold said longer or fulllengthl fold from rolling back, when the above shortening of eachsuccessive fold is repeated; thus producing a fold of proper, fulllength at stated intervals, with series of folds of uneven lengthsbetween said full length folds, the variation in the lengths of foldsoften being from one-eighth to a quarter of an inch or more.

The aforesaid slipping and curling over of the goods at their foldededges are due to the usual longitudinal teeth or ridges on the frontedges of the bottoms of the stationary jaws not possessing sufficientfriction or holding power upon the surface of the class ,of goodsmentioned, to hold the sanne from slipping as aforesaid as the foldingblade carries the cloth alternately from one end of the folding machineto the other in the folding operation. To overcome said objection is thepurpose of my invention. t

Referring to the drawings, A represents the frame of the foldingmachine, B B the jaws,

one at each end ofy said machine, which are` rigidly attached at theirouter edges to said frame A. i

C is the table upon which the cloth D is folded back and forthalternately as aforesaid, with the folded edges at each end, between theends of the table andthe jaws. Said table, .it will be understood, is inpractice combined with suitable supporting and operating mechanism foralternately raising first one end and then the other, to hold the foldededges of the cloth at one end, between the same and its respective jawwhile thc folding blade of the machine is passing the next folded edgeunder the other jaw .at the opposite end of the machine, but as saidtable supporting and operating mechanism is covered in a priorapplication filed by me May 16, 1894:, bearing Serial No. 511,394, onlya brief description thereof will be necessary in this case. Theconstruction and operation of the folding mechanism also constitute nopart vof the jaws.

of my invention, aside from the construction of the holding jawsasfaforesaid, and it is therefore deemed unnecessary to describe thesame in detail.

The four corners of the folding table frame are connected with links E,which are in turn connected with crank-levers F secured to thetransverse rock-shafts G G,one near each end of the machine. Upon saidshafts are also mounted the usual torsion springs H H and upon one endof each shaft are fitted the loose crank-levers I I with which the usualeccentric-rods J J are connected for operating said crank-levers I I.

rlhe fixed crank-levers F at one end of the shafts G G are provided upontheir outer faces with ratchet-teeth or notches F, and pawls K K mountedon the outer ends of the loose crank-levers I I `engage therewith whensaid levers are alternately rocked on the shafts G. G. by theirrespective eccentric rods J J, first one end and then the other of thefolding table being thus drawn down alternately, and the torsion springson shafts G G forcing the same up again when said downward pressure isreleased. For a more detailed description of said mechanism referencemay be made to my previous application hereinbefore referred to.

The fine roughened surfaces a, a which I desire protection upon, are asbefore stated, located just back of the usual toothed or ribbed surfacesb, b, next to the outer edges Said roughened surfaces d, a arepreferably slightly depressed below the face of the toothed or ribbedsurfaces b, b to Y allow the outside portion of the top fold to remainslightly expanded as shown at c in Fig. 2 and thus afford agreaterresistance against being pulled out by the action of the folding bladein carrying the cloth under the opposite jaw to form the next fold.

The roughened surfaces a, a may be formed in various ways to produce thesame result,

ure and of the smoothest and hardest surface,

as for instance, silk, satin and similar goods, from being easily drawnover in contact therewith, especially when pressure is applied as is thecase in a'folding machine at the points where said roughened surfacesare employed.

I have fully demonstrated in practice by the application of my inventionto a foldingmachinein folding silk and similar goods that said roughenedsurfaces elfectually hold the cloth from slipping and curling or rollingback upon itself, and I am therefore enabled to produce perfectly foldedpieces of cloth, with every fold of equal length.

Having described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a cloth folding machine, the combination of the frame and the foldingtable, with a holding jaw or blade, rigidly attached at its outside edgeto said frame and adapted to fit over the folded edges of the cloth,having a portion of its under surface next to its front edge providedwith a series of longitudinal teeth b and with a fine roughened surfacect next to and just back of said toothed surface, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

EDWARD HALL. Vitnesses:

A. A. BARKER, C. F. W'EssoN.

